Engine-governor



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.v

G. E. DOW.

I ENGINE GOVERNOR.

" No. 365,508 Patented Jllne 28, 1887.

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5 Sheets-*Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

G. E, 110 ENGINE GOVERNOR.

Patented June 28, 1887.

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(No Model.) 5 Sheets sheet 4.v

" G. E. DOW. ENGINE GOVERNOR.

No. 365,508. Patented June 28, 1887 FIG. 5.

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(No Mod e1.)

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I ENGINE GOVERNOR.

No. 365,508. Patented June 28, 1887.

FIG-6 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

; GEORGE Dow, or SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ENGINE-GOVERNOR.

SPECIFICATTON forming part of Letters Patent No. 365,508, dated June 28, 1887. Application filed September 7, E386. Serial No. 212,944. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. Dow, of the city and county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in Engine-Governors; and I hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to an improved speed governor or regulator, and is adapted to control the admission of steam, gases, or fluids such as may be employed in operating different kinds of engines of the reciprocating-piston type-for the purpose of maintaininga uniform speed under variations in pressure or resistance of the load.

The device consists, mainly, in a pair of inverted single-acting plungers operated by the engine to be governed, the action of said plungers being employed,through the medium of a liquid fulcrum, to elevate aweight to which the engine-valve is" connected, the arrangement being such that the speed of the engine becomes dependent upon a regulated resistance to the alternate reciprocations of the plungers.

It also consists of certain details of construction and in a novel and effective means of controllingthe action of the governor, all of which will be more fully explained by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section "of my im proved governor, shown in the present case connected direct to abalanced steam-valve, B. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the cylinder A, showing actuating mechanism through line 0 D, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a crosssection of the cylinder A through the line A B, Fig. 1, showing partial section of the weighted piston B, passages Y Y, port or cavity Z, passage L, and plan of plunger-chambers O 0. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cylinder A, showing the piston B, plungers D D, and links E E removed. Fig. 5 shows one form of its'application to a direct-acting steampump. Fig. 6 is a modification showing the plungers operating in a reverse direction.

A is a cylinder, preferably placed in a ver-. tical position and partially filled with oil or other suitable liquid, as may be indicated by the glass tube M, said cylinder being pro vided with a weighted piston, B, which is fitted to slide freely up and down within certain limits, as hereinafter described. The piston B contains two chambers, G 0, within which the plungers D D alternately reciprocate through the medium of the links E E, double-arm crank F, and vibrating arl'n G,

connected to some reciprocating part of the engine to be governed, so that the connected parts G, F, E E, and D D may be operated coincident with the main piston of the eugine. The plungers D Dcontain valves H H, openingupward, so that the plunger descending will allow the oil or other medium to pass freely through, allowing the weight of the plunger to be utilized to overcome the friction of the liquid through the induction-passage of the valves H H, thus providing a compensation for wear and allowing no possibility for lost motion to exist, as the strains upon the internal wearingjournals do not reverse. The space I below the piston B, which contains the moving parts that are operated from the outside through the stutfing-box J, has an upwardly-opening valve, K, Fig. 2, the under side of which communicates freely with the space L above the piston B by means of the passage L, the object of the valve K beingto allow the piston B'perfect freedom to rise, so that it has no resistance to a quick closing movement when the conditions demand it, as will be hereinafterdescribed. The piston B has an upwardly-extended projection, B, which in this case is shown fitted to slide freely through the cover N and connect .with the external crosshead, P, supporting, by

means of the rods Q Q, the weight 0, which is connected to the engine-valve B. Between the chambers G O is a communicating passage, S, in which the valve or screw-plug T is employed for the purpose of adjustment. From each of the chambers O O arecirculating-passages U U, communicating with the space L. These passages have screw-plugs V V also, for the purpose of adjustment, though not required. except for extreme ranges of speed and to compensate for an uneven piston movement of the engine to be governed, as hereinafter described. A passage, W, through the piston B, connecting the top space, L, with the bottom space, I, is also provided, and has a screwplug, X, for the purpose of controlling in ICO . independent of the other when desired.

point of time the descending or admission movement of the governor. The ports or passages Y Y are provided, leading from the chambers O G to the exterior turned or fitted portion of the piston 13, for the purpose of en gaging with the stationary cavity Z, which at a certain point in the upward movement establishes a supplementary communication between the chambers G C, so that the piston cannot rise beyond the desired limit.

The operation of the apparatus may be de scribed as follows: Assuming the cylinder A to be partially filled with oil or other suitable liquid, so that the piston B is submerged, filling the space I, chambers O 0, all passages employed in its operation, together with the chamber L, until the glass tube M indicates the cylinder to be nearly full, the vibrating arm G is to be connected to some reciprocating part of the engine to be governed, so that the plungers D D alternately reciprocate in their chambers G 0, said plungers having a positive mechanical connection to the enginepiston, or suitable connections therefrom, so that a coincident movement may be maintained between the engine and the plungers of thegovernor. The weighted piston B,when not being sustained by the influence of the liquid medium forced by the plungers, will remain seated upon the internal flange or shoulder, A, and in this position the engine valve R, connected thereto, as shown, will be opened to its fullest extent. \Vhen, however, one of the plungers D D, operated by the engine, is pressing upward, the valve H prevents the oil or other liquid from escaping from the chamber 0 except by means of the passages U and S. While the other plunger is descending freely its chamber 0 is filled through the combined orifices U S and the upwardly-opening valve H in the plunger. The passages U from each of the plungerchambers are maintained as separate constant openings, each one of which may be adjusted \Vhen the speed of the engine has reached a point where the resistance of the combined orifices U and bypass S is sufficient to overcome the weight or closing power of the governor, the piston B will rise, closing the valve and cutting off any excess of power that would tend to run the engine faster than desired, and if, 011 the other hand, any additional load is placed on the engine or a reduction of the pressure, the weighted piston 13 will descend, opening the valve to supply the required additional amount of power. The by-pass passage S between the chambers C 0 being regulated by means of the screw-p111 g T, serves to adjust the speed of the engine when desired, closing to run slower and opening to run faster. If the engine is suddenly relieved of its load, as in governor is positive and practically instantaneous. The plungers act directly to raise the piston B from its normal position of working, with any slight acceleration of the speed of the engine, as the orifices U and S create an additional resistance in proportion to the squares of the velocities. The valve K permits the liquid to enter the chamber I freely, so as not to oppose the closing or upward movement of the governor. The passage WV, through the piston B, with screw-plug X, serves to regulate the opening movement, giving a steadiness to the apparatus while working in a normal condition. If the governor is connected to an engine that has an uneven movement-such as an unbalanced vertical or some kinds of pumping-engines where the inward and outward movement is run on different average piston speedsthe passage U from the chamber 0, into which the plunger D is working in time with the stroke having the less speed, may be adjusted by the screw-plug V, diminishing the discharge-orifice, so as to suit the reduced velocity of its plunger, and thus maintain a steady normal action to the governor without interfering with its sensitiveness, but avoiding the pulsations that would otherwise follow.

As a precaution against accidental injury to the governor,or unusual strains being brought vupon any of its parts, the ports Y Y are employed, leading from the chambers C C to the turned orslidingsurfaee ofthcpiston,asshown, together with the stationary cavity Z, suitably placed in the bored surface of cylinder A, so that by no possibility of imperfect adjustment or from any other cause can the piston 13 rise more than to cause these passages to meet the cavity Z, when a supplementary communication is effected between the chambers O C. The cavity Z is intended to be placed so that the engine-valve will be closed before the ports Y Y communicate ordinarily.

The apparatus here described is simple in construction, not liable to lost motion through excessive use, or other derangements by careless or unskilled management.

It will be seen that the operation of the gov.- ernor is controlled principally by the valve or screw plug T, and that the valve X or passage \V prevents fluctuation while working in a normal condition, and regulates the speed of the opening movement, without in either case affecting the possible instantaneous closing action which is so much to be desired.

Although I prefer the general arrangement ofparts and method of operation herein shown, I do not wish to limit myself to this precise construction, as there are many other arrangements of details that may be easily substituted without departing from the essential features of the invention.

In Fig. 6 I have shown the piston 13 fitted in the lower part of the chamber A, and the pistons or plungers D fitted to movein chambers formed in the main chamber Aabove the piston B. This extension or elongation of the ICC piston B passes up through the top of A and connects with the governor-valve in the same manner as before described. The passages, valves, and chambers are only changed in position to suit the different positions of the parts; but in this, as in the other forms, the total reactive force of the governorissustained by and controlled through the direct reciprocation of the plungers operated by the engine to be governed.

It will be manifest that this governor may also be so constructed as to operate horizontally, instead of vertically, a few simple changes being made to suit the changed positions of parts.

By the construct-ion of this apparatus,with the reciprocating pistons or plungers working in connection with the main piston, and the regulating-passages through which the liquid is forced, it will be seen that when the engine runs at a certain rate of speed the flow of the liquid through these passages will be maintained at such a rate that the main piston will be suspended in a certainposition against the pressure of the counterbalancing-weight or cquivalentspring,and will remain'in such position as long as the engine runs at that rate; but if by any sudden decrease of load or for other reason the engine should begin to run faster, the pistons in the smallcylinders would be moved at a correspondingly greater speed; and as the passage could not accommodate the increased flow of liquid it will be seen that the very first movement of one of these pistons at a greaterrate of speed would act to raise the main piston bodily, through the medium of the liquid confined above the smaller piston and inside the chamber in the upper part of or connectedwith the main piston, as this liquid could not escape through the discharge-passages fastenough to allow the small piston to complete its stroke. The main piston thus raised quickly would act through its connections and partially close the valves by which steam is admitted to the cylinder, and would thus regulate the speed of the engine instantly and before it could even complete a full revolution. As the weight of the main piston and the connected weight 0 are supported directly upon the links 'or pitmen E,which operate the pistons in the smaller cylinders, it will be seen that there can be no lost motion, even although the pins be smaller or become considerably worn, as the whole weight always rests upon the top of these vertically-moving pitmen, and consequently there will be no reverse motions and no wear on these parts, which is very.important for the perfect operation of this governor.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A governor consisting of a cylinder containing liquid, a main piston moving verti cally therein and connected with the supplyvalve of the engine, and the smaller alternately-reciprocating pistons operating in corresponding chambers in the main piston, in combination with the upwardly-opening outlet-valves in saidpistons-and the escape-passages through the main piston, substantially as herein described.

2. The exterior cylinder or chamber containing liquid, having a main piston moving therein connected with the steam-inlet valve of the engine, and a weight by which the valve is closed, in combination with the supplement-a1 pistons fitted to chambers within the main piston,with'valves and outlet-openings, and the oscillating arm or lever connected with a reciprocating part of the engine, so as to be operated in unison therewith, substantially as herein described.

3. The weighted main piston moving in the cylinder containing liquid, and chambers or cylinders in the main piston, within which supplemental pistons are actuated by means of an oscillating arm or lever connected with the reciprocating portion of the engine, so as to move in unison therewith, in combination with passages or openings from the supplemental cylinders to the main cylinder, and adjusting or regulating screw-plugs whereby these openings may be enlarged or diminished, substantially as herein described.

4. A weighted main piston connected with the engine-valve and moving within a liquidcontaining cylinder, the supplemental pistons actuated in unison with the reciprocations of the engine and moving in cylinders within the main piston, the valves opening into the supplemental piston-chambers, and a passage or by-pass connecting the supplemental cylinders and provided with a regulating plug or screw, substantially as herein described. a

5. The weighted piston connected with the steam-inlet Valve of the engine and moving within a liquid-containing cylinder, supplemental pistons movingin corresponding chambers within the main piston, and mechanism whereby these supplemental pistons are caused to reciprocate in unison with the movements of the main engine-piston, in combination with astationary cavity, and passages leading from the chambers of the supplemental cylinders to the stationary cavity, so that when the latter is raised to a certain point communication is opened between the chambers through the stationary cavity, substantially as herein described.

6. A governor consisting of a cylinder containing liquid, a piston fitted therein and connected with the supply-valve of the engine, and smaller alternately'reciprocating pistons operating in corresponding chambers in the main piston, in combination with the inlet valves and the escape-passages of the actuating chambers, substantially as herein described. 7. In a governor, a cylinder or chamber containing liquid, a piston fitting therein and connected with the-supply valve of the englue, and smaller alternately reciprocating In witness whereof I have hereunto set my pistons operating in corresponding chambers hand.

in the main piston, and by which means the reactive force of the governor is sustained and GEORGE E. DOW.

controlled, in combination with the inlet-valve K and passage L, communicating with the res- W itnesscs: ervoirspace L and return-passage W', snb- S. H. NOURSE, stantially as herein described. H. 0. LEE. 

